The shockwave of the explosion knocked Yè Shūlí and Jiāng Yè sprawling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky.
Jiāng Yè scrambled to his feet, wiped the dust from his face, and spat out a mouthful of dirt. "What the hell just blew up?"
Yè Shūlí's expression turned grave. Massaging her throbbing arm, she stood up and scanned her surroundings with a piercing gaze. "It wasn't an explosion... someone's here."
As the dust settled, a group of figures slowly emerged from the trees, surrounding them completely.
Leading them was Sūn Měng, covered in soot yet wearing a sinister grin. Behind him stood over a dozen burly men with ferocious auras. Several of them exuded a suffocating wave of Spiritual Energy—Mid-stage Spirit Users!
"Well, well, if it isn't our Sister Lí and Brother Yè. How did you two end up in such a mess?" Sūn Měng taunted sarcastically, acting as if their battered appearance wasn't entirely obvious. He rubbed his backside and winced, drawing in a sharp breath. "Let's settle this score, piece by piece!"
Jiāng Yè spat on the ground, clutching his aching chest as he cursed inwardly: *This bastard really is like a ghost that won't stop haunting us!* "Sister Lí, we've really stepped in it this time..."
Yè Shūlí's eyes turned icy as she glanced around. They were boxed in so tightly that not even a fly could escape. The enemy's spiritual pressure bore down on her like a mountain, making it difficult to breathe. She clenched her fists, her palms slick with sweat.
"It seems this Sūn Měng brought backup," Yè Shūlí sneered, a hint of ruthlessness in her tone.
The mid-stage Spirit Users behind Sūn Měng stepped forward, their formidable spiritual pressure nearly crushing Yè Shūlí and Jiāng Yè. One of them grinned malevolently. "If you know what's good for you, surrender immediately and save yourselves a beating!"
Jiāng Yè turned pale, forcing himself to say, "Sister Lí, you... you've got to think of something!"
Yè Shūlí took a deep breath, her mind racing as she analyzed the situation. They were outnumbered and outmatched; fighting head-on was out of the question. Without a trace of movement, she slipped her hand into her sleeve, her fingertips brushing against a cold object.
"Think of something? Ha! Today you won't grow wings and fly away!" Sūn Měng declared viciously, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Get them!"
Just as the enemies surged forward, the corners of Yè Shūlí's mouth curled into a cold smirk. She whispered, "Jiāng Yè, hold onto me!"
Suddenly, Yè Shūlí burst into a wild, borderline unhinged laugh. "Sūn Měng, do you really think you've won? You're too naive! The person backing me is someone you can't afford to provoke!"
Sūn Měng froze, instinctively halting his steps as he eyed Yè Shūlí suspiciously. *This woman, even in a fix like this, what kind of bluff is she trying to pull?*
"The person backing you? Who? The Jade Emperor himself?" Sūn Měng scoffed with utter disdain.
A mysterious smile touched Yè Shūlí's lips. "Who it is doesn't matter. All you need to know is that if any of you dare touch a single hair on my head, your entire Sūn family will vanish from this world!" Her voice was icy, carrying an unquestionable majesty.
The mid-stage Spirit Users behind Sūn Měng exchanged glances, hesitation flashing in their eyes. Desperately reckless as they were, they had no wish to provoke a formidable enemy for no reason.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jiāng Yè crossed his legs and sat down, rapidly cycling his Spiritual Energy until the pallor on his face faded into a hint of color. He shot a stealthy glance at Yè Shūlí, thinking: *What kind of trick is Sister Lí pulling this time?*
Amid the hesitation, Yè Shūlí suddenly drew a bizarre hidden weapon from her sleeve and hurled it straight at the enemy.
"Eat this, you bunch of noobs!"
The hidden weapons looked ordinary enough, but they carried a strange powder. As the powder drifted through the air, a pungent odor instantly filled the space.
"Cough, cough, cough... What is this stuff?"
"My Spiritual Energy... why is my Spiritual Energy gone?!"
"Ah! My eyes!"
The enemies clutched their noses and mouths, collapsing to the ground in agony. Their circulation of Spiritual Energy was blocked, and those with weaker energy directly lost their ability to fight.
Seeing this, Jiāng Yè seized the moment. He bolted toward the weakest point in the enemy's formation, roaring, "Sister Lí is mighty! Watch this!"
Yè Shūlí curved her lips into a smile. "Jiāng Yè, don't get reckless, stay close to me!"
While nimbly dodging attacks, Yè Shūlí never forgot to unleash her sharp tongue. "Oh, Young Master Sūn, how has your combat skill regressed after just a few days? Did you turn your brain to mush by mooching off your family at home?"
Livid and red-faced from fury, Sūn Měng bellowed, "Bitch, you're asking for death!" He swung the Spirit Sword in his hand, sending a rainbow-like wave of Sword Qi straight at Yè Shūlí.
Jiāng Yè's situation was far from optimistic. Despite fighting with all his might, he was steadily driven back under the combined assault of several mid-stage Spirit Users. He sustained numerous injuries, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet his eyes held no fear—they burned with the fires of battle.
"Sister Lí, forget about me, get out of here!"
"Get out of here? In your dreams!" Sūn Měng sneered, stepping up his offensive.
"Oh my, Young Master Sūn, why are you in such a rush? Are you scared that once I run off, you won't have anyone to vent your anger on?" While dodging, Yè Shūlí kept provoking Sūn Měng to throw him off balance.
True to form, Sūn Měng let her infuriate him, causing his attacks to grow erratic and riddled with openings.
Spotting a chance, Jiāng Yè zeroed in on an opening and threw a ferocious punch straight into the chest of one of the Spirit Users.
"Blech!"
The Spirit User coughed up a mouthful of blood and flew backward through the air.
"What?!" Sūn Měng turned pale with shock; he never expected Jiāng Yè to erupt with such terrifying power.
Just then, Jiāng Yè felt a surge of Spiritual Energy inside him, an unprecedented strength flooding his entire body. He let out a long howl to the heavens, his aura suddenly skyrocketing as faint signs of a breakthrough past the mid-stage Spirit User realm began to show!
With bloodshot eyes like a beast, he lunged at the remaining strongmen around Sūn Měng, his fists and kicks moving like the wind, every strike lethal.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The Spirit Users were beaten back repeatedly, stripped of all ability to fight back.
Seeing this, Sūn Měng's expression shifted drastically as he cried out, "Th-This is impossible!"
Yè Shūlí wore a cunning, mischievous smile. "Surprised, Young Master Sūn?"
With an overwhelming aura like a tiger descending a mountain, Jiāng Yè advanced on Sūn Měng step by step, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light. "Sūn Měng, your time is up!"
Yè Shūlí dusted off her hands, walked over to Jiāng Yè, and chuckled softly, "Jiāng Yè, stop playing around, let's finish this quickly."
With a fierce momentum, Jiāng Yè rained blows down like a fierce tiger, every punch whistling through the air and forcing Sūn Měng to retreat step by step.
Yè Shūlí didn't stay idle either. Like a mischievous little devil, she constantly pulled all sorts of bizarre hidden weapons from her sleeves—smoke bombs, flashbangs, chili powder... Sūn Měng and his men were left dizzy and utterly miserable.
"What the hell! Sister Lí, what kind of stuff is this? So ruthless!" Jiāng Yè complained mid-fight, though his hands didn't slow down for a second.
"All's fair in love and war, ever heard of it? Why talk martial virtue with a bunch of thugs?" Yè Shūlí rolled her eyes, pulled out a slingshot, and pinged a projectile straight at Sūn Měng's eyes. "Let's see you act arrogant now!"
"Agh!" Sūn Měng shrieked, clutching his eyes as he completely lost his ability to fight.
Seizing the opening, Jiāng Yè threw every ounce of strength into a heavy punch that slammed straight into Sūn Měng's stomach. "That's for bullying Sister Lí! That's for acting high and mighty!"
Sūn Měng flew backward like a snapped kite, crashing heavily onto the ground. He vomited blood and passed out cold.
Terrified out of their wits, the remaining thugs dropped their weapons and scattered in all directions. "The boss is down, why are we still here? Waiting to die?"
"Want to run? Not that easy!" Jiāng Yè moved to pursue, but Yè Shūlí stopped him.
"Don't chase a cornered beast. Let's loot the spoils of war first." With a beaming smile, Yè Shūlí walked over to Sūn Měng and began searching his Storage Bag. "Heh, the harvest isn't bad at all."
Jiāng Yè walked over and asked curiously, "Sister Lí, what good stuff did you find?"
With a mysterious smile, Yè Shūlí pulled a glowing stone from the Storage Bag. "Look, this is our target for today—a Spirit Stone!"
Jiāng Yè's eyes lit up as he gasped, "So many Spirit Stones! We're rich!"
"With these Spirit Stones, we can finally begin cultivating!" Excitement flickered in Yè Shūlí's eyes. "Jiāng Yè, are you ready? We're about to turn a brand-new page!"
The two exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with longing for the future.
Yè Shūlí sat cross-legged, clutching the Spirit Stone in her hand, and slowly closed her eyes.
Jiāng Yè looked at her, the corners of his mouth curving upward as he murmured to himself, "Sister Lí, you're definitely going to become the strongest..."